Bowling ball return



Dec. 24, 1957 7R. H. BLACK ET AL 2,817,530

BOWLING BALL RETURN Filed Feb. 27, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 26 z INVENTORS .i Awixer Mama/q JOHN 6, 0.55,

652410 H. swap/2mm; JIZV! GJMQAM m N c. aka/MAN United States Patent BOWLING BALL RETURN Robert H. Black, Los Angeles, John G. Ross, Palos Verdes, Gerald H. Snodderly, Hawthorne, Steve G. Juran, Los Angeles, and Frank C. Drohman, Hawthorne, Calif., assignors of sixty-three percent to said Black, twenty-one percent to said Ross, eight percent to said Snodderly, four percent to said Juran, and four percent to said Drohman Application February 27, 1956, Serial No. 567,793 2 Claims. (Cl. 273--49) This invention relates to a mechanism for returning the bowling balls of two adjacent alleys, the same being more particularly adapted for use in connection with automatic pin spotting machines.

After the ball has been separated from the fallen pins, the same, in order to be returned to the bowler, must be elevated sufiiciently so that its return, gravitationally, is assured. The present mechanism receives the ball, elevates it, and then sends it on its return journey from such elevated position.

Since marring, scufling or otherwise abrading the sur face of a bowling ball is to be avoided wherever possible, it is an object of this invention to provide a ball return mechanism that greatly minimizes such ball abrasion.

Inasmuch, as above noted, one ball return is usually provided to serve two adjacent bowling alleys and, therefore, is placed between such alleys, two balls, one from each alley, may simultaneously arrive at the inlet of the ball return. In such case, they will be hung up, mutually preventing ingress into the return mechanism. Accordingly, another object of the invention is to provide novel and simple means for releasing the balls so hung up that one will precede the other into the return mechanism.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construc-;

tion and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a bowling ball return mechanism according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view as taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, to the scale of Fig. 1, is a top plan view of the return mechanism as viewed in the direction of arrow 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan sectional view as taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a similarly enlarged plan view as taken on the plane of the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The frames represent two adjacent pins-spotting mechanisms of adjacent bowling alleys, the space 11 between said frames being occupied by the ball return mechanism of the present invention. It will be understood that each said mechanism 10 is provided with a discharge chute plate 12 that delivers a ball 13 to the present mechanism and that said chute plates each guide a ball from a conveyor 14 or other means provided in the mechanisms 10. It will be noted, particularly from 2 Fig. 2, that the adjacent mechanisms 10 deliver balls 13 in opposed directions, the balls moving in a direction toward each other into the present ball return mechanism 15.

The ball return mechanism 15 that is illustrated comprises, generally, a frame 16 embodying a ball-guiding trough 17, an endless belt 18 moving longitudinally along the bottom of said trough, a ball-moving conveyor 19 carried by the frame parallel and in spaced relation to said trough and belt, drive means 20 for said belt and conveyor to move them in the same direction, and a drop chute 21 connected to the discharge end of the mechanism to receive balls and guide them in a downward path from the elevated position of said discharge end.

The frame 16 comprises upper, transversely spaced side bars 22 that are spaced above the trough 17 and connected thereto as by straps 23. At one end, said bars 22 carry extension plates 24. It is by means of bars 22 that the frame 16 is secured to one of the frames 10 at approximately the 45 angle shown in Fig. 1. It will be noted from Fig. 2 that the return mechanism is centered in space 11. Therefore, the bar 22 that is secured to said one frame 10 is oifset relative to the longitudinal center of the conveyor 19. Figs. 2 and 3 show such offset.

At the end where the plates 24 are provided, the frame is formed to have transversely spaced ledges 25 that form an approximate included angle of with the trough 17 and which are held in place by strap brackets 26 that interconnect the bars 22 and the trough 17. As shown in Fig. 1, with the conveyor, belt and trough at a 45 angle, the ledges 25 are approximately horizontal.

The frame 16 also includes ball-guiding members 27 that extend laterally from the forward lower end of the trough 17. Said members 27 cooperate with guide members 28 that extend from the frames 10 (Fig. 1) to form guide chutes for the balls as the same roll down chute plates 12, across ledges 25 and into the space between said ledges, as shown in Fig. 2. It will be noted that the ball is cradled between the ledges 25 and thus supported in alignment with the trough 17.

Said trough 17 is shown with a bottom 29 and diverging sides 30. In practice, in order to minimize wear on the balls, the members 27 and 28, the ledges 25 and the trough sides 30, are lined with non-metallic bulfer material, such as leather, rubber or the like. In fact, all portions of the instant device that are contacted by the balls are preferably so lined to reduce ball abrasion.

The endless belt 18 comprises a web 31 that has its upper run moving along and above the trough bottom 29 with the return run below said bottom. See Fig. 4. Pulleys 32 and 33, at opposite ends of trough 17, have said belt trained thereover, a web-tautening pulley 34 being provided to insure a taut condition of the web along said trough bottom. As indicated by the arrows 35, the belt moves from the lower to the upper end of the trough.

The conveyor 19 comprises an endless chain 36 that has its lower run moving in spaced parallelism with the upper run of belt 18. Pulleys or wheels 37 and 38, at opposite ends of the bars 22, have said chain trained thereover, and a chain-tightening pulley 39 is carried by an adjustable frame 40 between said bars and is engaged with the upper run of said chain to tauten the same. The lower run of said chain moves in the same direction as the upper run of web 18 and is uniformly spaced thereabove.

Said chain 36 is preferably comprised of hingedly connected wide links 41, the same carrying a plurality of uniformly spaced ball-propelling blades 42 which, on the sides that engage the balls, are lined with non-abrading liners 43. Said blades are rigidly affixed to suitably spaced chain links and each is provided with a longitudinal extension 44 that is adapted to bear against adjacent links.

the link to which said blade is alfixed is capable of being deflected frdm its normal position by the weight of the ball. Thus, the shock of the blade striking a ball is minimized. After only a short travel of the conveyor, the extension 44 f said blade will engage adjacent links to be supported thereby, as before mentioned.

I Sa g of the lower conveyor run is obviated by chain guides '45 that are carried by the straps 23 and engage the edges of the conveyor chain.

As can be seen from Fig. 3, said blades 42 are alternately offset on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the conveyor and the sides thus offset are beveled at 46 (Fig. 2) to clear the trough sides do. From Figs. 2 and 4, it will be evident that in the event that two balls, from opposite sides, reach the ledges and mutually interfere with their progress to the full-line position shown in Fig. 1, the next oncoming blade 52 will strike (me ball before striking the other. The ball on the side or edge of the blade that is offset will be dislodged laterally by such o tfset edge 47, allowing the other ball to fall into centered position so that it may be lifted by said conveyor blade. The ball thus laterally dislodged will fall in behind said blade and be subsequently engaged by the next oncoming blade. It is immaterial whether the blade in question is olfset to the right or the left, since one or the other of the hung balls will be laterally dislodged to free the balls for sequential return by the present mechanism.

It will be recalled that the balls 13- are first engaged by the lifting blades while the same are supported by the horizontal ledges 25. At such time, the blades 42 need only move the balls along these ledges until the same achieve engagement with the upper run of web 31. It is only then that the lift begins. Since said web is moving together with the conveyor 19, the same cooperates therewith to lift the balls up the incline of the trough 17. If the linear travel of the web and chain is the same, the ball will not turn during such movement. A small amount of turning is immaterial to the efficiency of the operation.

The drive means 21 is arranged to drive the belt 18 and conveyor 19 at desired speeds to obtain the most etficient and frictionless raising of the balls toward the drop chute 21. As shown, said drive means comprises a driven chain 43 that is trained over and in rotating engagement with a sprocket wheel on the shaft of pulley 33 and a sprocket wheel on the shaft of wheel 33. An idler sprocketwheel 49 on a bracket Sill is used for tautening chain 42'; which is driven in the direction indicated by the arrow '51.

The drop chute 21 is shown as at right angles to the trough 1'7, and is so formed that the same constitutes an extension of said trough. In the drawing, said chute comprises parallel skids or rails 52 that are connected by transverse members 53, the upper ends of said rails being curved at 54 to form a transition from the sides of said trough.

It will be evident that as a ball is propelled by a blade 42 beyond the upper end of the trough 17, said ball will be guided between the rails 52 and will roll down therealong, as shown. At the end of the drop chute, conventional ball guiding means may be provided to conduct ballsback to the bowlers in any of the well-known ways. Since the balls roll down the drop chute 21, there is a minimum of abrasion and the rails 52 may be made of unlined metal, if desired.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A ball return mechanism adapted to be disposed between two bowling alleys and provided with two oppositely directed ball-receiving and guiding members to receive balls from said alleys at different times or at the same time, as the case may be, an upwardly angularly directed and upwardly moving ball-supporting web having its lowermost end disposed between and spaced forwardly of said receiving and guiding members to engage a ball moving downwardly along one or the other of said members, a similarly directed and upwardly moving conveyor generally parallel to and spaced from the web to accommodate bowling balls therebetween, a plurality of longitudinally spaced ball-engaging blades carried by the conveyor to move balls upwardly while supported on the web, a fixed trough having a bottom and diverging sides and along said bottom of which the web moves while the diverging sides center balls supported by the web, a ballreceiving crade adjacent the lower end of the trough and disposed between the ball-receiving and guiding members, the mentioned ball-engaging blades moving longitudinally through said crade successively to engage a ball resting in the crade and move the same upwardly, and said blades being alternately transversely ofiset relative to the longitudinal center of the conveyor to provide alternately olfse't blade edges that engage against and outwardly push on one of two balls delivered simultanueously toward the crade by the ball-receiving and guiding means and which become so mutually engaged that neither ball can move into the cradle, the other of said two balls, thereby, being freed to fall into the cradle and into position to be moved upwardly by the next succeeding blade of the conveyor.

2. In a ball return mechanism having a longitudinally moving conveyor, a ball-receiving cradle forward of and adjacent to said conveyor, two oppositely directed ball-guiding members to move balls from opposite sides of the mechanism toward the cradle, a ball from one side and occupying the cradle preventing a ball from the other side entering the cradle and two balls moving simultaneously from opposite sides being adapted to so mutually engage each other that neither can enter the cradle, and a set of longitudinally spaced and alternately transversely offset blades carried by the conveyor to engage a ball in the cradle and move the same outwardly therefrom, said blades each having an outwardly ofiset edge that is adapted to engage against and outwardly push on one of two mutually engaged balls to, thereby, free the other ball to fall into the cradle and into position to he moved from the cradle by the next succeeding blade of the conveyor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,070,759 Willits Aug. 19, 1913 1,114,454 Fetrow et al. Oct. 20, 1914 1,375,835 Fairchild Apr. 26, 1921 2,546,512 Lewis Mar. 27, 1951 2,682,407 Huck 11111629, 1954 2,699,944 'Kee'sling Jan. 18, 1955 2,699,945 Frye Jan. 18. 1955 

